II.
Anna Pavlovna's living room started to fill up a little bit. The highest authority of St. Petersburg came, people of the most heterogeneous in age and character, but the same in society, in which everyone lived; came the daughter of Prince Vasily, the beautiful Helen, who came to pick up her father to go with him on the holiday of the messenger. She was wearing a code and a ball gown. Also known as la femme la plus séduisante de Pétersbourg 1, the young, little princess of Bolkonska, who had been married last winter and who hadn't been to the big world because of her pregnancy, but who had been away for small evenings, came to visit her. Prince Hippolyte, son of Prince Vassily, arrived with Mortemar, whom he introduced; so did Abbot Morio and many others.
- Have you not seen yet - or: - you are not familiar with ma tante? 2 - Anna Pavlovna said to the arriving guests and very seriously led them to the little old lady in high bows, who came out of another room, as soon as the guests began to arrive, called them by name, slowly turning their eyes from the guest to ma tante, and then moved away.
All the guests performed a rite of greeting for an aunt who was not known, not interesting or needed by anyone. Anna Pavlovna followed their greetings with sad, solemn participation, silently approving them. Ma tante spoke to everyone in the same expressions about his health, about his health and about the health of her majesty, which now was, thank God, better. All those who approached, out of decency, without showing any haste, with a sense of relief in the performance of their heavy duty departed from the old lady, so that the whole evening would never come up to her.
The young princess Bolkonskaya came to work in a golden velvet bag. Her pretty upper sponge, with slightly blackened moustache, was short in her teeth, but the cuter it opened and the cuter it was sometimes stretched out and sank to the lower one. As it happens in quite attractive women, its disadvantage - the shortness of the lip and half-open mouth - seemed to be its special, actually its beauty. Everyone had fun looking at this healthy and vivacious mother-to-be who was so easy to bear. Old people and bored, gloomy young people thought that they themselves are made like her by being and talking to her for a few moments. Whoever talked to her and saw at every word her bright smile and shiny white teeth, which were seen continuously, thought he was especially kind today. Everyone thought so.
The little princess, moving around in small, quick steps, walked around the table with a handbag on her hand and, cheerfully arranging the dress, sat on the sofa, near the silver samovar, as if everything she had done was partie de plaisir 3 for her and for all those around her.
- J'ai apporté mon ouvrage 4," she said, unfolding her riddle and addressing everyone together.
- Look, Annette, ne me jouez pas un mauvais tour," she turned to the mistress. - Vous m'avez écrit que c'était une toute petite soirée; voyez comme je suis attifée 5.
And she wrapped her hands to show her, in lace, grey elegant dress, slightly lower than her breasts, surrounded by a wide ribbon.
- Soyez tranquille, Lise, vous serez toujours la plus jolie 6," replied Anna Pavlovna.
- Vous savez, mon mari m'abandonne," she continued in the same tone to the general, "il va se faire tuer. Dites-moi, pourquoi cette vilaine guerre 7," she said to Prince Vasily and, without waiting for an answer, turned to Prince Vasily's daughter, the beautiful Hélène.
- Quelle délicieuse personne, que cette petite princesse! 8 - said Prince Vasily quietly Anna Pavlovna.
Shortly after the little princess came a massive, fat young man with a sheared head, wearing glasses, light pantaloons in the fashion of the day, with a high jabot and a brown tailcoat. This fat young man was the illegitimate son of the famous nobleman of Catherine the Great, Count Bezukhov, who was now dying in Moscow. He had not served anywhere else, had just arrived from abroad, where he was brought up, and was for the first time in society. Anna Pavlovna greeted him with a bow to the people of the lowest hierarchy in her salon. But despite this inferior greeting, the sight of Pierre entering in the person of Anna Pavlovna showed anxiety and fear, similar to that which is expressed at the sight of something too huge and uncharacteristic of a place. Although indeed Pierre was a little more than the other men in the room, this fear could only relate to the clever and together timid, observant and natural look that distinguished him from everyone in this living room.
- C'est bien aimable à vous, monsieur Pierre, d'être venu voir une pauvre malade 9," said Anna Pavlovna, frightened to look at the aunt she had led him to. Pierre drilled something incomprehensible and continued to look for something with his eyes. He smiled joyfully, cheerfully, bowing to the little princess as a close friend, and approached his aunt. Anna Pavlovna's fear was not in vain, because Pierre, without hearing her aunt's speech about her majesty's health, left her. Anna P
- We'll talk afterwards," said Anna Pavlovna, smiling.
She got rid of a young man who couldn't live, so she went back to her mistress's classes and continued to listen and look out for help at the point where the conversation was weakening. As the owner of the spinning shop, having planted the workers in places, walks around the place, noticing immobility or unusual, squeaky, too loud sound of a spindle, hurryingly goes, restrains or lets it go in a proper way - so Anna Pavlovna, walking along her living room, approached the silent or too much talking mug and in one word or movement again started a uniform, decent conversation machine, and in one word or movement, again started a uniform, decent conversation machine. But in the midst of these worries, everything was visible in it a special fear for Pierre. She looked at him carefully as he approached to listen to what had been said near Mortemar and went to another mug where the abbot spoke. For Pierre, brought up abroad, this evening of Anna Pavlovna was the first one he saw in Russia. He knew that all the intellectuals of St. Petersburg were gathered here, and he, like a child in a toy store, had eyes scattered. He was afraid to miss all the clever conversations he could hear. Looking at the confident and graceful expressions of the faces gathered here, he was waiting for something particularly clever. Finally, he approached Morio. The conversation seemed interesting to him, and he stopped, waiting for an opportunity to express his thoughts, as the young people like it.
1 the most charming woman in St. Petersburg.
2 My aunt?
3 It's fun.
4 I brought my job.
5 don't play an evil joke on me; you told me you were having a very small evening. You see how wrapped up I am.
6 Be quiet, Lisa, you'll be the best after all.
7 You know, my husband is leaving me. Goes to his death. Tell me why this nasty war is happening.
8 What a lovely person, this little princess!
9 It's very kind of you, Monsieur Pierre, to come and see the poor woman.
to continue in the next article.